The Chrysler Concorde Is French Luxury the American Way

We need to be fair to the second-generation Chrysler Concorde. It was the entry-level full-sized car that got replaced by the Chrysler 300 in 2004, with entry-level luxury always meaning a bit of added wood, leather and the longest wheelbase the platform can handle. Look back now, it seems that Chrysler did try hard with the Concord, starting right after Lee Iacocca's retirement in 1993.

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Debuting a decade earlier, the Renault 25 was the French automaker's flagship saloon. Due to their partnership, when AMC needed a platform for what became known as the Eagle Premier sedan, Chrysler ended up with Renault's chassis, upgraded by AMC and finished by their own people. But all that confusion in the late eighties didn't make the LH-platform a bad one. After all, the French knew a thing or two about a luxurious ride.

The front-wheel drive Concorde represented Chrysler's cab-forward design, which took inspiration from European cars as well as Chrysler designer Kevin Verduyn's Lamborghini Portofino concept from the 1987 Frankfurt Auto Show. Compared to the 1993 model, the second-generation had a more distinctive exterior, a lighter body and a new 3.5 V6 producing 214 horsepower. Arguably, Chrysler did try to give its customers as much as it could for the price., including a number of mechanical problems. But be as maintenance-heavy as they may, it's hard to say no the the bargain these aging full-sized cars represent today.

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